Norwegian Saga

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas and happy new year. I just wanted to get that out of the way before I continued.

Much has happened. I’m in Canada and home for the holidays. I arrived on the 18th of December and I return to Norway on the 19th of January. Of I have some plans to do a bit of work on my thesis but it seems to be going slowly. Happily of course it’s the holidays and I don’t have anything I’m required to do.

So the semester grades arrived and I checked them online a few days after I arrived in Canada. My thesis outline got a pass, it was only a pass/fail grading. I earned a D in my Old Norse course. Which means that if I decide I’ve improved on it over the next few semesters I’m going sit the exam again. You can do that here. They allow you to sit the exam a total of three times if you feel you can do better. The nice thing is that it’s free of charge in Norway, and you’re not required to attend the lectures. To balance that less than great grade I got an A in my palaeography course. So everything is good in school, I’m going to try and retake the Old Norse exam at the end of the third semester.

Other than that not much is new. I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays and give an update on what’s going on.

Merry Christmas and I will write again soon.

Yesterday I submitted my palaeography assignment and wrote my Old Norse exam, and now I’m completed the semester. I just have to wait and see if I passed all three courses.

The snows have come to Norway which means that it’s always cloudy and dark-ish. It’s snowing right now and I’m guessing that it won’t melt this time until the spring.

So aside from the fact that I now have time to relax a bit, I’ve still got a few things that need doing. The most important of which is selecting a course (or courses) for next semester. I’m undecided on which one I should take. There’s also the question of the Norwegian course. I don’t know if any of you recall but I had to drop the Norwegian course I was enrolled in this semester because of a scheduling conflict. Now, because I’ve only got my thesis seminar and one other course I’m going to have a much freer schedule and will be able to take the Norwegian. This makes me happy.

On the other hand I just read that I’m actually going to have to undergo an oral examination. I was under the impression that I was just going to submit my thesis and have it graded. But hidden in the thesis seminar syllabus was this bit:

Before the final grading there will be an oral examination of approximately one hour – a discussion between the student and two examiners about the thesis. The supervisor will not be a member of this panel; at least one of the examiners will be external. The final grade will be given after this oral examination.

So aside from just writing the thesis I have to plan and organize ways to talk about it too. I’m not complaining though, the more chance to talk about this stuff I get the happier I am.

I also have to pack for the return trip home for the holidays. It’s an exciting time because there’s so much to do and little stress. Tomorrow is my last day of teaching this year at the school, after that I just have a student on Monday and two more on Wednesday and I’m finished with work. I guess I’ve got some Christmas shopping to do but when you don’t have to worry about rushing it won’t be so bad.

I do plan on running around Oslo still and getting some cool photos for you guys so that’s on the list too. I just have to find a day that isn’t so cloudy.